Many think a sale is closed when the customer signs on the dotted line. It isn’t.

The sale’s made the moment the prospect or customer believes in the salesperson. It has little to do with the quality of product/service or the price. It’s the salesperson’s credibility that seals the deal.

Here are nine strategies you can suggest your salespeople use to build trust with customers. Copy this list and pass it out to your team at the start of your next meeting.

1. Back your promises up with proof. Support your statements with facts. Example: If you say your product will cut the prospect’s costs, back it up with evidence from current customers that it does indeed cut costs.
2. Be dependable. Never promise what you can’t deliver.
3. Display technical command of products and services. Always have on hand any information prospects or customers will need to fully understand what you’re selling. The faster you’re able to answer their questions, the more they’ll begin to trust that you’re there to help them.
4. Understand individual prospects’ and customers’ unique needs. Before making a sales call, know whether or not the prospect can use the product or service you’re selling – and how.
5. Speak their language. If you’re going to use technical jargon, use the prospect’s technical jargon. The second you fail to speak the prospect’s language is the second he or she mentally checks out.
6. You watch for physical responses. You can see by a prospect’s facial expressions or gestures whether or not the person is bored or confused. If either is true, it’s time to change the direction of the conversation. Start by engaging the prospect with questions.
7. Don’t overreact to objections or argue. Arguing establishes an adversarial relationship that destroys trust. Listen, and then ask open-ended questions to get the information you need. Questions enable you to uncover the prospect’s main buying motive and barriers to sealing the deal.
8. Keep your composure. Don’t feel pressured when a prospect asks for reasons he or she should buy from you. This is a golden opportunity to explain why you’re better than your competitors.
9. Be their friend. Prospects want to deal with salespeople they like. If you make efficient use of a prospect’s time he or she will want to keep coming back to you.

Discussion idea: Ask team members to give an example of how they were able to build trust with a customer. What methods did they use? How did they respond when a customer blamed them for things that went wrong?

Attitude and dependability

Salespeople can’t change the economy or how a prospect or customer will react to a sales call. But salespeople can control their own attitude. Remember, selling is 10% what happens to them and 90% how they react to it.

Successful sales leaders possess qualities like empathy, compassion and courage. They constantly place themselves in customers’ shoes, trying to imagine what they would do in the same situation.

Customers trust salespeople who place a premium on keeping commitments. If a salesperson says he or she’s going to do something – whether it’s important or somewhat insignificant – the customer expects it to get done.

Discussion idea: Ask your team to give examples of times when doing something small led to big results.

Adapted from “Leadership Lessons,” by Eric Harvey and Steve Ventura

Tags: build trust, economy, sales meeting, strategies